Regional district slams sale of Duncan elementary school to private buyer

The Cowichan Valley School District says it has accepted an offer for the former Koksilah Elementary, which the regional district wanted to acquire.

The province says it’s looking into a controversial decision by the Cowichan Valley School District to sell a vacant school in Duncan to a private buyer, after the regional district expressed interest in the property. Koksilah Elementary School was closed in 2013 amid declining enrolment and district budget constraints, and was later used by Vancouver Island University for its Cowichan trades program. Last year, the university decided not to renew its lease because the program will relocate to the Nanaimo campus this fall.

In May, the school district listed the property at 5265 Boal Rd. for sale for $3.15 million. Cathy Schmidt, chair of the Cowichan Valley School Board, said the district has accepted an offer from a private buyer, whose identity is not being revealed as the sale is still in progress.

The move surprised the Cowichan Valley Regional District, which had expressed interest “both in writing and in staff communications” in acquiring the site, said board chair Kate Segall. The CVRD said it wanted to use the property to offer services to the community’s vulnerable residents, such as for an emergency shelter or supportive housing. “We were very surprised to find out that it went for sale on the public market,” Segall said.

“We have pretty deep concerns that the school district did not follow their requirements in considering local community needs before deciding to sell.” On June 26, the CVRD released an open letter to Premier David Eby asking questions about the decision-making process that led to the sale, calling on the province to conduct a review of what happened, and disclose all records related to the sale. In the letter, Segall referred to the district’s own administrative policy, which says that when disposing of a property, it should give first consideration to any alternate community use.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, when surplus school properties are disposed of, local governments and community organizations are supposed to be provided with an opportunity to express interest. “We are aware of the concerns regarding the selling of the Koksilah Elementary School property,” a ministry spokesperson said via email. “In light of concerns raised through this process, government is reviewing the circumstances of this case.”

Schmidt said that the sale of the property was necessary to help fund deferred maintenance on the school district’s properties, which she estimates to be approximately $100 million, spread over about 20 school sites. The board is “really confused” about the accusation that it did not engage in a transparent process, as it consulted with the community, local First Nations and local governments prior to listing the property, Schmidt said. The consultation began with a public meeting on Jan. 26, 2021, and also involved engagement through social media, according to district secretary-treasurer Jason Sandquist.

A final consultation took place on July 11, 2025. Sandquist said the board received a signed approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure on Jan. 12 of this year authorizing the school district to dispose of the property. He said the board wrote to the CVRD on Jan. 13, 2021, to ask for input during the disposal process, and the regional district discussed possible uses but did not express interest in acquiring the property.

Schmidt said that in the three and a half years she has been board chair, she has never received anything from the CVRD “stating that they have a formal interest in the Koksilah property.” Segall disputes this, and said the regional district has a paper trail to show a continued expression of interest in the property that stretches back to 2022. “When we found out that the school was going for public sale, we reached out in writing to the school board to remind them of our continued interest and to request a meeting to talk about it, which unfortunately the school district did not — was not interested in meeting with us,” Segall said.

When these efforts failed, she said, the district made a “competitive offer” to buy the property through the public sale process, which was submitted at the end of May. Asked about the offer, Schmidt said she couldn’t comment. Segall said if the province doesn’t take action, they are prepared to seek a judicial or third-party legal review of the case.

Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples said it came as a “huge surprise” that the property had been listed for sale. “There have been conversations happening in multiple different ways and different levels over the years around the interest in this property.” The site “ticks off a lot of boxes,” she said, as there are limited properties in the city’s core suitable for community uses like a shelter, and few that are institutionally zoned.

Staples said she was aware a process was underway to dispose of the property, but was confident it would come back to the community to decide if they wanted to move forward with it. Staples said negotiating things such as sale of properties and community outreach can be complicated, and changes in political leadership and organizational staffing can lead to miscommunications. However, this process “wasn’t done in a way that came back to support community,” she said.